Phytophthora root rot in National Parks in New South Wales

Brett Summerell & Edward Liew, Plant Pathologists
Rose Daniel & Therese Suddaby, Project Officers

Phytophthora root rot is an exotic introduced disease of a wide range of native plants that has been recently discovered to be affecting plants in a number of national parks in New South Wales. A collaborative research project between scientists at the Botanic Gardens Trust and the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service has discovered the presence of disease in national parks such as Royal National Park, Barrington Tops National Park and Werrikimbee National Park. This disease has been listed as a key threatening process to native vegetation in New South Wales

Not all plants are susceptible to the disease but those that are are often rapidly killed by the pathogen. Grass trees (Xanthorrheoa spp.) are particularly susceptible and usually rapidly die. Many rare and threatened plants, such as the Wollemi Pine, are susceptible to the disease and special precautions must be taken to prevent the pathogen from entering the areas where these trees grow. There are many ways in which this disease can be spread including spread on vehicles and bushwalkers and by feral animals such as pigs. There are also concerns that residents living on the edge of national parks could introduce the disease by planting infected plants in their gardens.

Our research programs aim to survey and map where the pathogen is present and to determine its impact on rare and threatened species in New South Wales. We are using molecular tools to fingerprint the pathogen in different regions so that we can determine their relationships to each other and understand how the pathogen has been spread between and within our national parks.

For further information see our Phytophthora root rot fact sheet and Phytophthora brochure.